AC Milan secured a 3-0 win over Genoa on Wednesday night as the Rossoneri got back to winning ways in style.
Stefano Pioli had seen his side fall to back-to-back defeats to Fiorentina and Sassuolo over the past fortnight, which in turn led to Milan falling off the pace at the top of the Serie A table.
READ MORE: How back-to-back heavy defeats reveal Tomori importance to Milan
With a little pressure building as we looked to get back on track, we did so with a much-improved performance as goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Messias Junior (2) secured all three points at the Luigi Ferraris.
Salernitana visit San Siro on Sunday and so there is very little time to prepare with such a quick turnaround, but this result will hopefully provide all concerned with a confidence boost and lift after a disappointing week or so domestically.
AC Milan player ratings vs Genoa:
Mike Maignan, 7.5 – Excellent display as he produced two crucial saves in particular to showcase his class and kept a much-needed clean sheet.
Pierre Kalulu, 7 – Shifted across into the middle and settled in well to produce a solid performance. Composed on the ball and switched on defensively throughout.
Simon Kjaer, N/A
Fikayo Tomori, 7 – A huge boost to have him back on the pitch as his influence in the backline is clear. Produced one superb piece of defending in particular as he cleared off the line following Maignan’s initial save.
Theo Hernandez, 6.5 – Caused Genoa problems with his bursting runs forward into their half, as he created a threat down that left flank and was involved in the third goal to kill the game.
Sandro Tonali, 6.5 – Another assured performance from the Italian midfield ace, as he did well in both phases of the game. Composed and in control in possession to get us moving forward and provided protection in front of the defence to give us a solid core in the side.
Franck Kessie, 6.5 – Impressed alongside Tonali, as the pair worked well together on and off the ball to give Milan a real foothold in the midfield battle and in turn it set us up to go out and win the game.
Messias Junior, 8 – A superb night for the Brazilian, as he produced two excellent finishes for his brace, one a perfectly timed and weighted header and the second a composed finish into the bottom corner. Worked hard off the ball too, and so has made a strong case to be more involved moving forward.
Brahim Diaz, 7 – Integral in the build-up to the third goal, and almost scored a wonderful goal of his own but saw his strike rise just over the bar after some clever, skilful play to create an opening for himself. Not at his most influential, but a good outing nonetheless.
Rade Krunic, 6.5 – Did his job well on the night, as although we’re aware of his limitations, particularly from an offensive perspective, he worked hard off the ball and kept possession ticking over while also playing in a key pass that led to the third goal.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 7.5 – A top-class free-kick that broke the deadlock and set Milan on their way. Much better performance compared to last time out, as he also linked up well with Diaz and Messias to cause the Genoa defence plenty of problems.
Substitutions:
Matteo Gabbia, 5.5 – Another difficult night for the young defender as after picking up an early yellow card, he was affected by that and was ultimately replaced at the break.
Alessandro Florenzi, 6 – With Theo attacking down the left, Florenzi’s job was mostly to provide defensive cover and shape to ensure we didn’t get hurt on the counter. Did his job well after coming on.
Pietro Pellegri, 5.5 – Not a great deal to report on as he was quiet during his time on the pitch and so Milan will need to see more from him moving forward.
Alexis Saelemaekers, 6 – Did a good job as he added fresh legs and solidity in the side to help see out the win.
Tiemoue Bakayoko, 6 – With the result already secured, came on and helped keep things tight.
